Did You Absolutely Have To
by gveret
Summary: Kara trusts Lena with all her heart, but Lena sure doesn't make it easy sometimes. (In which Lena insists on doing everything in the most unnecessarily ominous way possible.)
1. Baking a Pie

**1: Baking a Pie**

Kara has an easier time than most waking up in the mornings. Alex insists it's because of her planet of origin – "Only an alien can be this chipper before breakfast", in her words – and James always says it makes sense for a "living manifestation of sunlight" to be a morning person. But not even Kara makes a habit of waking up before sunrise while technically unemployed, on a day when she has no actual obligations.

Lena, on the other hand, evidently does.

Kara fairly topples out of bed, rubbing her fingers roughly over her face and through her tangled hair, stumbling in her rush to get to the door so she can make the ringing of her cursed buzzer stop as soon as superhumanly possible.

"'m coming," Kara mumbles, wrenching open the door to reveal Lena, dressed all in black and looking as crisp and proper as if she's just stepped out of an appointment with a professional makeup artist.

"Good morning, Kara," Lena greets her happily. "Or, good dawn, rather." She laughs a little at her own joke.

"Lena, I love you very much, but why in Rao's name are you here at this very moment." Kara is too tired to even give her words the proper intonation of a question.

Lena seems not to notice her annoyance. "I sent you a text - two, in fact, but you didn't read them. I didn't want to call in case I woke you."

"Isn't that considerate," Kara says pointedly.

Lena laughs sheepishly, finally seeming to catch up. "Right. I'm sorry, Kara, but I, I have to be at work by seven today, and I really wanted to give you this." She extends the round bundle in her hands to Kara.

"What is it," Kara says flatly, eyeing the package resentfully.

"It's a 'sorry you got fired, but you're still the best journalist I know' pie."

Kara sighs, drags a hand in her hair until she hits another snag and gives up. "That's actually really sweet," she admits reluctantly. "I guess you're forgiven."

Lena beams at her. Kara is helpless but to return the gesture. "I really have to go now, but would you try a slice?" Lena asks her. "I baked it myself."

"Lena, I haven't even brushed my teeth yet…"

"Just a small bite, Kara. Please? I want to know what you think of my baking." Lena leans forward, flashes Kara a very toothy grin. "Come on, one little bite can't _possibly_ hurt."

Kara really does love her girlfriend, and she really is touched by this patently strange gesture, but her mind still can't help but conjure up the image of Snow White biting into an apple.

But of course, that's absurd. This is her girlfriend, who loves her, and obviously she baked her a pie in the middle of the night and delivered it before dawn wearing all black and insisting she try a bite out of _love_ , and no other kind of motive.

Kara tries a bite, and doesn't bother to stifle a moan. "This is amazing," she says reverently.

Lena visibly perks up. "You like it?"

"Best unemployment consolation pie I've ever eaten. What's in it?"

"A very _special_ secret ingredient, which I'm not about to reveal," Lena says, and then winks, and then smirks.

And yeah, Kara is fairly sure this pie isn't _actually_ poisoned, but she also really really needs to have a serious conversation with her girlfriend about not acting like a real life Disney villain.


	2. Talking in Her Sleep

**2: Talking in Her Sleep**

Kara loves sleeping with Lena. Sleeping in the literal sense, that is. Well, she loves the sex, too, but there is something even more deeply intimate in sharing her space in sleep. For Lena, who is human, and so fragile, and carrying old trauma besides, to allow herself to be so completely vulnerable, to entrust her safety to Kara so absolutely in this way, means more to Kara than she could possibly express.

Besides, Lena is a surprisingly excellent cuddler, warm and clingy and pliable, but also easy to kick off when Kara is too hot and cramped in the middle of the night.

But sometimes, Lena has this habit of - talking, in her sleep. And it really isn't as cute as it may sound.

The first time it happened, Kara woke up abruptly to the sound of strange, cold giggling. She turned around in a near panic, displacing the hand Lena had adorably placed on her bare stomach in sleep. And there was Lena, eyes closed, limbs loose, sporting an extremely disconcerting grin and laughing an extremely disconcerting laugh.

She jolted awake when Kara bolted out of bed, making a very embarrassing and unheroic sound in the back of her throat.

Lena had blinked at her, sleepy and confused. "Sorry," she said. "Was I snoring?"

Another night, Kara returned from a bathroom run to find Lena mumbling a series of numbers under her breath, tone unusually deep and her brow furrowed.

Kara tried to wake her, unsuccessfully. "Lena, Lena. What are you doing?"

"Counting down," Lena answered, sounding perfectly lucid.

"To what?"

"The destruction of the universe," Lena calmly replied.

And just two nights ago, Lena woke Kara up by chanting in a singsong voice, "They're gonna get you," over and over again.

At this point Kara'd had enough of this nonsense, and she simply shoved Lena clear off the bed.

She felt absolutely awful a moment later, though, seeing the bleary and betrayed look Lena shot her from the floor.

"Lena, we need to talk about your sleeptalking," Kara tells Lena now, over the phone while patrolling as Supergirl. "You're like a werewolf! Wonderful person by day, terrifying supervillain at night."

Lena sighs. "I don't know what to tell you, Kara. I've been to sleep therapists multiple times. I guess my brain has its own way of processing its trash. I'm just grateful I don't get nightmares."

"What about _my_ nightmares?!" Kara gestures a little too wildly mid flight, slightly altering her trajectory.

"I'm sorry, Kara," says Lena, sounding sincerely contrite. "I can catch a cab back to my place next time I'm at yours, rather than spend the night."

Kara groans, her insides instantly turning to jelly. "I don't want that. I love spending the night with you. Except when you turn into a phonecall in a horror movie."

Lena chuckles. "How about we watch some horror movies together, then? Try and desensitize you."

"Give _you_ more ideas, more like," Kara mutters.

"Love you, Kara," Lena says softly. "Thanks for being understanding. You truly make everything seem brighter."

Kara drops a few feet in the air before she catches herself. She can feel her face burning. If only freeze breath was helpful in dealing with inconvenient blushing. She tries to express her reciprocation of Lena's sentiment, but stutters too much, her mumbling quickly drowned out by Lena's beautiful, snorting laughter.

Well. Maybe sleeping in the same bed as an anthropomorphized horror flick is worth it, after all.


	3. Organizing Her Research

**3: Organizing Her Research**

Kara is finally done with a gruelling string of job interviews, and she feels caught between utter exhaustion and adrenaline fuelled giddiness. She considers going for a quick flight around the city or calling Alex up for a round of sparring, but it's already past seven pm and a quick text confirms that Lena's done with work for the day; obviously nothing else seems particularly enticing when Kara's girlfriend is available for cuddles.

Kara grabs a couple boxes of pizza on the way for a light snack and zips over to Lena's apartment. She doesn't bother knocking, simply letting herself in. "Hey, Lena! I got your favorite terrible artisanal toppings," Kara starts to say, trailing off halfway through, blinking a little as her sight adjusts, because Lena's apartment is pitch black. The lights are off, the blinds are drawn, the bright street light filtering through just barely allows limited visibility.

And there in the darkness, in front of the covered windows, back straight and arms crossed, stands Lena, presumably staring at the pattern of her own curtains.

"Uh, Lena?" Kara ventures, vaguely wondering if she'd unwittingly stepped through an interdimensional portal somehow and entered a world where this is sensible behavior. "What are you doing?"

Lena turns around, her loose hair tumbling over her shoulder with the momentum. "Oh, just… thinking," she says, raising one hand to idly play with the pendant at the hollow of her throat. "Kara, there's something I need to show you."

"Uh… What is it?" Kara asks, distracted partially by Lena's fingers on her neck and partially by the insistent sense of foreboding hanging in the air.

"Perhaps I should have shown you a long time ago," Lena says, ignoring Kara's question. "It doesn't matter now. Come with me. It's in the basement."

"The basement? Lena, you live on the top floor."

Lena waves a dismissive hand. "I like to be prepared. I chose this building in part for its underground storage, and I made sure to secure it. It's virtually inescapable without my personal authorization."

An involuntary chill runs through Kara. "Why would you even mention that," she mutters.

"It's also well fortified, of course," Lena continues. "In case of a bomb threat, it can be used as a safe room for the whole building."

"Lena, that is so thoughtful and so, so terrifying," Kara informs her weakly.

Lena hums, looking distracted. "Is it? I see." She walks past Kara and opens the door. "Well? Are you coming?"

Kara sighs, leaves the boxes on Lena's kitchen counter, and follows her to the Rao damned basement. They are going to have to reheat the pizza later.

Lena takes them through a series of locks and safety measures, and leads Kara inside. The interior is one large, minimally furnished, undivided space, containing a nearly ceiling-tall pile of canned goods, several dozen very large water containers, a box of various children's toys, a flat screen tv with a gaming console attached, and a pile of rolled up futons near one the walls.

And on the wall perpendicular to that one, stretching several feet across, is a tangled network of interconnected notes, diagrams and newspaper clippings worthy of a very industrious serial killer.

"Ink and paper are unhackable," Lena comments, sounding virtually offhanded.

"What on Earth is this?" Kara asks, her voice pitched an octave too high.

"Everything I currently have on Cadmus," Lena states simply.

Kara whirls around to stare at her, mouth flapping open and closed uselessly. "That - that's absolutely - You had me worried you were taking me to your secret - freaking - exsanguination chamber! I was ready to stumble all over severed sheep heads!" Kara accuses, managing only narrowly to avoid stomping her foot.

Lena looks extremely taken aback. "I - You thought _what_?"

"If you're gonna present me with possibly the most touching and meaningful display of trust possible, don't stand around in the dark and make speeches about inescapable bunkers beforehand!"

Lena presses a hand to her own chest. "You're… you're touched?" she asks, eyes quickly becoming shiny.

Kara sags a little in place, spreads her arms and gestures for Lena to come over for a hug. Lena happily complies, and Kara squeezes her gently and sighs into her hair. "Of course I am. So touched and so grateful. And spooked. Don't forget spooked."

Lena nuzzles into Kara's neck. "I'm glad," she murmurs, her lips tickling Kara's skin.

"I love you, Lena," Kara tells her. "Maybe try slightly less theatrics next time?"

Lena chuckles. "No promises."

"Of course you'd say that. You literal vampire."

Lena presses a soft kiss to the underside of Kara's jaw. "You love me anyway," she says.

"I love you anyway," Kara has no choice but to agree.


	4. Old Photo Albums

**4:** **Old Photo Albums**

Lena doesn't have many personal mementos from her childhood. No old books, toys, bundles of drawings or misspelling-filled journals. Kara doesn't have a lot, either, not from her life before Earth, but Lena owns even less, and doesn't even have the excuse of her whole planet being destroyed.

But Lena does have one thing, she confesses to Kara when she asks: a single scrapbook filled with pictures from her early childhood all the way to high school.

"Aw," Kara cooes, already picturing a tiny, grumpy baby Lena in a variety of embarrassing situations. "Can I see?"

"I'd rather you didn't," Lena says, wincing.

Kara immediately softens. "Bad memories?" she asks.

"Well, yes. But also… other reasons." Lena looks aside, shifts in her seat.

And Kara feels terrible, because it's obvious her girlfirend is hurting, but she also looks just so _Rao damned suspicious._

A couple weeks later, Lena shows up at Kara's apartment, her expression like a permanent eye roll.

"Remember that old photo album you wanted to see?" Lena greets her. "I dug it out. But you have to promise not to overreact. I know how you are sometimes with my… mannerisms."

"If you mean your inexplicable knack for making washing the dishes look nefarious, then yeah."

Lena actually rolls her eyes at that. "Here you go." She hands Kara a heavy, leather bound book. "Wield it wisely."

The first couple of pages upon opening the book are taken up by a single papery photograph, like a middle spread in a magazine, folded in half. Unfolding it reveals a picture of the Luthor family in its entirety, posed stiffly, connected to each other by hands placed on a shoulder or arm. It must have been taken shortly after Lena was adopted; she looks tiny and so sad. Young Lex's face is scratched out.

"I was a teenager when I did that," Lena remarks. "An angry teenager disappointed by her brother. Truly nothing is scarier than that."

Kara silently reaches for Lena's hand and interlaces their fingers. The tightness in her chest releases a little at Lena's return squeeze.

The next batch of photos are burnt around the edges, the material bubbling. Lena offers no explanation. The rest for the bulk of the book are divided between unflattering school photos and strange candids that never seem to catch Lena's face. Undoubtedly distressing, but much more pressingly -

"You were a goth in high school?!"

Lena snorts. "Had to start building my terrifying occult reputation somewhere, didn't I?"

Up next are a bunch of photos that seem to have been developed wrong, too faded or too saturated to make out. Kara throws her hands in the air. "All right, I'm done, I give up."

Lena starts laughing at her, and doesn't seem to be able to stop.

"You truly did this on purpose, didn't you?" Kara demands. "On some level, you just enjoy people wondering if you're actually secretly evil."

It takes a few moments for Lena's laughter to subside, but when it does, she sighs. "Well, it happens either way," she says. "Might as well try to enjoy it, right?"

Kara feels a surge of protectiveness run through her, and she tackles Lena in a fierce hug. "I love you, you silly loser," she says, giving Lena's forehead a smooch. "The goodest evil spirit in the universe."

"Kara, don't make me cry," Lena warns, already sounding in danger of doing just that. "We haven't even started watching the baby bat videos yet."

And really, who is she kidding. The only scary thing about this woman is her occasional utter lack of self awareness.


	5. Assembling Furniture

**Warning** for brief mention of abortion this chapter.

* * *

 **5:** **A** **ssembling Furniture**

Kara has spent the entire day protecting abortion providers from terrifying protesters and flying people literally hundreds of miles so they can get to the closest available clinic. She's happy to do this every so often, she feels like she really did some good today, but she desperately needs some affection and comfort, to recharge emotionally and restore her faith in humanity.

Naturally, she calls up Lena.

Unusually, it takes Lena six whole rings to pick up.

"Hey, babe," Kara greets her, the words rushing out like a sigh of relief. "Can I come over?"

"No," is the curt response.

"Great! I'm already on my - wait, what?"

"Don't come over," Lena says, an odd strain in her voice. "You absolutely can't."

A sharp spike of anxiety shoots through Kara's belly. "Right," she says. "Of course. I know how you like your alone time. I'll see you later."

Kara touches down on the street and continues on foot. If Lena is being held in her own home, they must be monitoring the sky. And since they haven't taken her anywhere yet, Kara can only assume their plan is to take something from Lena, give something _to_ her, or get rid of her entirely. Kara's stomach roils. Either way, time is of the essence.

Kara touches her earbud. "Alex," she says quickly under her breath. "There's something going on at Lena's. I don't know what's happening, but -"

"I got you, Kara," Alex cuts her off, her tone reassuringly businesslike. "A team is on its way. We'll be there soon."

"Thanks, Alex," Kara whispers.

"Of course," says Alex. "Always."

Kara's finally reached Lena's building. She hides behind a tree and scans Lena's floor intently. She sweeps it once, twice, another two times. She worries at her lip. As far as she can tell, there's nobody else there. Lena is completely alone.

A scan of the entire building reveals no suspicious figures either. Focusing back on Lena, Kara watches as she walks over to her fridge, pops open a soda and takes a drink.

Kara takes a surprised step back. Maybe she was wrong? Maybe Lena really wanted some alone time after all? Or are her captives just invisible and surprisingly generous with the snacks?

Kara keeps watching, just in case. Lena places the soda on the floor, next to what appears to be a small mountain of junk food, and picks up a… hand saw. She positions it on top a plank of wood and starts working it through.

Kara scans the room again, looking for inanimate objects this time. Lena is surrounded by various fairly benign work tools, planks of wood, rods of metal, some sort of alien laser cutter, a miniature nuclear reactor…

"Kara." Alex places a calming hand on Kara's back when she jumps. She has a small team in bulky street clothes, probably covering protective vests. "How is she?"

"I - I don't know. She's alone in there, but she has an, um, alien weapon, and a nuclear reactor." Kara swallows. "I think she's building something."

Alex winces. "Okay. Kara, it's okay. You stay back. We'll handle this." She motions to her team.

"No, Alex, wait!" Kara moves to stand in front of her, raising a pleading hand. "Let me talk to her. I'm sure there's an explanation."

Alex's expression softens. "I care about her too, Kara," she says. "But we have to be rational about this. If - and I'm not saying she is, I'm saying _if_ \- she's building, or being forced to build an anti-alien device, I don't want you anywhere near it."

Kara shakes her head. "I'm coming with you."

They stare at each other for a moment, then Alex sighs. "Fine. Let's go."

They take the service elevator, and despite Kara's protests that they can just knock, Alex deactivates the alarm and busts through the door.

They rush into the apartment to find a startled Lena, with a chocolate bar hanging from her mouth, stumbling to her feet next to - a half built bed with a series of lamps attached to it.

"Step away from the device," Alex orders, raising her gun. Kara quickly positions herself in front of it.

Lena takes a moment to chew and swallow a bite of chocolate, and wipe her mouth on her arm. "Alex? What's going on?" she asks, hands lifting above her shoulders, looking between Kara and the DEO team.

Kara half-heartedly places one hand on her hip. "I saw some, um, suspicious activity," she says, then drops her hand and walks toward Lena. "Lena, what are you doing?" she asks her quietly.

"I don't want to say," Lena says, fidgeting with her hands.

"Lena, please. I'm worried."

"It was supposed to be a surprise."

"What is it?"

Lena sighs. "It's a nuclear powered portable sun bed. For when you get hurt. Or tired. So you can come straight home. So you can be with _me._ " Lena looks in Kara's eyes, knits her fingers together in front of her. "I… I was planning to ask you if… if you'd like… Kara," Lena says, bites her lip, looks away, looks back, "will you move in with me?"

Kara's stomach has been in knots all day, and now it suddenly feels like it's filled with a substance lighter than air. She blinks rapidly. Her eyes burn a little. She takes a step toward her girlfriend.

"All right, I guess that settles that," Alex says in the background. "We're out, guys. Kara, don't forget to take that bed to the DEO for testing before you use it, okay? Kara? _Kara?_ Shit. Forget it. Let's go."

Kara slides her hand higher inside Lena's shirt. Miraculously, she's not wearing a bra. She tastes like the chocolate she's just eaten, and Kara happily licks into her sweet tasting mouth.

Lena cups her neck, smooths her loose hair behind her ear. "Does that mean you're open to the idea?" Lena asks, a little breathless.

Kara laughs. "As long as you have enough room for all my button ups," she teases.

"Gosh, I don't know," Lena replies. "We might need to get rid of the fridge. And the dining table. And the shower. And the toilet -"

Kara cuts the list short with another kiss. Lena doesn't seem to mind.


	6. Getting Along with the Cat

**6: Getting Along with the Cat**

"Honey, I'm home!" Kara calls happily as she walks through the door. She really tries, but she can't restrain herself from doing jazz hands.

Lena laughs and gets up from her chair. "This is still just my office, Kara." She walks around her desk to take Kara's outstretched hand.

"I know, but I never actually finish work after you do, and I really wanted to say it." She tugs on Lena's hand and Lena allows herself to be pulled into a soft kiss. "Plus, we're not going home tonight, remember? We have dinner at Maggie's."

"Of course," Lena says, waggling her eyebrows. "Why do you think I wore a vest today?"

Kara grins at her. "Well, I think you look great, and we are going to have a very nice and gay evening. Plus we get to meet Maggie's new cat."

Lena's smile appears to freeze for a second. "Maggie got a cat?" she asks, sounding stiff.

Kara frowns worriedly. "Are you allergic? Do you have some kind of cat-related childhood trauma? Maggie says he's kind of old and really well behaved, but we can cancel if you want."

"No, no, that's fine," Lena says, but she lets go of Kara's hand and already looks a million miles away. "Usually, cats and I - it doesn't matter. Kara, I have a couple things to finish up here, can you -?"

"Oh, yeah yeah yeah, I'll go see if any, um, any homeless kids need a hand, or, anything. Be back in forty five."

Lena is looking very tenderly. "I love you so much," she says. "Thanks, Kara."

Kara gives her a sightly wobbly smile and heads out.

She spends the next hour as a glorified delivery service, couriering food, clothes, tampons, hormones and other medication from various donors around the city. Thank Rao she decided to go. Super fast deliveries are always useful.

"Ready to go?" she asks Lena, getting back in the office through the balcony.

Lena smiles her. "All done," she says. "Let's take the scenic route?"

Kara laughs delightedly as she scoops Lena up in a bridal carry. They arrive at Maggie's in a flash.

"Hey, Little Danvers," Maggie greets them when she opens the door, "Little Luthor." She goes to hug Lena first, and Kara's heart warms a little when Lena closes her eyes and melts into the hug. She's so grateful to have such hug-happy friends, with such a hug-sponge of a girlfriend.

"Hey, babe, the kids are here," Maggie calls over her shoulder, and Alex quickly appears in the doorway, wearing mismatched oven mitts. "And this is Kane," Maggie continues, opening the door all the way to reveal a chubby ginger cat. "Alex wanted to call him Sig Sauer, and let's be honest, so did I. But he's had his name for seven years and won't respond to anything else."

Kara crouches down in front of him and tentatively holds out a hand. "Hey there, little buddy," she murmurs. Kane steps cautiously toward her and sniffs her hand, then bumps his head against it and allows her to scratch his ear. "Aw, you're a real sweetheart, aren't you?" Kara cooes at him. "Lena, do you wanna try?"

As soon as Lena steps into the apartment, though, Kane jerks away from Kara, his ears flattening back against his head. He and Lena stare at each other for a moment, then his tail poofs up, he starts hissing and spitting, and, with a low, growly little snarl, sprints out of the room.

"Weird," Alex says. "He's usually very calm around new people. He loved me right away." She aims a dopey smile at Maggie.

Maggie shrugs. "Guess Lena isn't much of a cat person. Puppies are more your speed, am I right?" She winks at Lena. "Dinner, anyone? I made lasagna, and Danvers claims her dish is also edible."

Alex slaps Maggie's ass with a kitchen towel as Kara laughs and absently smooths Lena's little frown with a thumb.

After dinner Alex, Lena and Kara sit down on the couch with Maggie in an armchair, her feet in Alex's lap, and play some trivia. MAggie is thoroughly kicking all of their butts when Kane pads into the room, tail held proudly in the air, watches them silently for a moment and then hops onto coffee table, walks decisively over to Lena, and curls up in her lap.

Lena hesitantly raises a hand and strokes him lightly. He starts purring like a two ton tractor.

"Never heard him go like that," Maggie remarks. "Sure you're not secretly a witch, Little Luthor?"

That Sunday, Lena's phone rings when she and Kara are working next to each other in their living room, where they live. Together.

"Hello? Perfectly fine, you? Yes. Yes, of course. I'll see to it. Whatever needs to be done. I understand. I will be gentle. Goodbye." Lena puts her laptop down. "That was Maggie," she says. "She needs me. Only I can help her now."

"I - okay?" Kara blinks at her. "Can I help? Do you need a ride?"

"No, I'm just going to her apartment. You finish your emails. We will be… just fine."

Kara nods, tries to ignore how foreboding that sounds.

Twenty minutes later, Kara is done with the emails, and since Lena isn't back yet, she decides she might as well pick her up. She flies over to Maggie's, and when there's no answer at the door, she quickly scans the apartment. Maggie and Lena are in the bathroom, holding down a small feline shape, and Kara can clearly hear raised voices and loud, desperate mewls.

Kara quickly lets herself in using the key Alex gave her for emergencies, and rushes over to the bathroom.

Kane is wrapped up in a towel, wriggling aggressively in Maggie's grip, while Lena is trying to force a syringe filled with some sort of alarming pink substance into his mouth.

"Stop, stop!" Kara cries. "Whatever's going on, I'm sure there's a better way! Maggie, please don't _kill_ you _cat!_ "

Maggie stares at her. "Kill him? I just need him to take his fucking medicine!"

"Aha!" Lena calls triumphantly, pushing the plunger into Kane's mouth. He splutters and heaves a couple times, but doesn't throw up.

Maggie lets him go and slumps back in obvious relief. Kane retreats out of the bathroom. "Thanks, Lena," Maggie sighs. "You're a lifesaver."

"I was happy to help," says Lena.

"Oh," says Kara, feeling foolish. "Sorry."

Lena smiles up at her from the bathroom floor. "It's okay, Kara," she says. "It was honestly overdue. Before this, I hadn't alarmed you even once this entire month."

"You guys sure have your eccentricities, huh," Maggie says with a lopsided grin. "I dig it."

Kane pads back into the room, climbs on Lena's legs, and starts purring again.


	7. R&D

**Warning** for mentions of animal death and GHB (a date rape drug) in this chapter.

* * *

 **7: R &D**

Kara turns over in bed in the middle of the night, mostly asleep, feeling cold. She scoots closer to Lena's side, waiting to bump into her warm, soft body and be instinctively wrapped in her arms. When that doesn't happen, she reaches out an arm and pats the bed, finding nothing. At this point more than fifty percent awake and feeling grumpy, Kara opens her eyes and rolls out of bed in search of her girlfriend.

She finds her in her home office, bent unhealthily over some Rao damned papers in the middle of the night. A lot of them, too.

"Hey," Kara rasps, trying not to startle; Lena doesn't react whatsoever. Kara walks over and sleepily massages her shoulder. "You're gonna make your back problems worse."

Lena doesn't pause her furious scribbling for a second. "Mm hm," is her noncommittal reply.

"What are you working on in the middle of a work night?"

"Top secret," Lena mutters.

"Can I look?"

"Okay."

Kara snorts. Lena is a terrible multitasker, and her single minded focus while working means that trying to hold a comprehensible conversation with her is a lost cause.

Still, Kara graciously accepts the invitation to look over the files that have stolen her snuggle partner. On Lena's desk her two laptops are open to diagnostics of some sort of paralyzing drug, and next to the computers are four thick binders, each inscribed in bold block letters: _'PROJECT LEATHERFACE'_.

"Whoa," Kara blurts out, taking an involuntary step back. "Lena, what _is_ that?"

"Top secret," Lena mumbles again.

"Okay, but, not from me, right?" Kara asks hesitantly.

Lena stops writing and turns in her chair to look at Kara. Her eyes look puffy from lack of sleep, her eyebrows drawn in a frown. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet," she says. "Go back to sleep, Kara."

A couple days later, Lena takes a phone call over breakfast. He walks over to the bathroom and covers her mouth with a hand before picking up. Kara shakes her head to herself. Why does everyone always forget about her super hearing?

Kara fiddles with her glasses, tries to focus on her pancakes, but Lena really isn't very quiet.

"That's absolutely unacceptable," Lena is saying, sounding very vehement. Kara doesn't envy whatever employee or business associate is on the other side of that call. "If it doesn't affect an overwhelming majority of the test subjects, it's useless to me. No. Do you think this is a game we're playing? It _needs_ to be able to mix with other incapacitating drugs. That is the entire point. I have _big_ plans for this, Frank. Don't disappoint me."

Lena returns from the bathroom looking… calculating, stares at her orange juice intently and doesn't touch her waffles.

"Lena…" Kara lightly strokes Lena's arm. "Is everything okay?"

Lena hums distractedly. "I'm sorry for ruining breakfast," she says. "It's just a… _personal_ project. You don't need to worry about it, Kara."

Kara squeezes Lena's hand and finishes her waffles for her, and tries very hart to _not worry about it_.

The alarming phone calls, however, keep on coming.

"And the intoxicated specimens? Any unusual behavior? Yes. I'm looking for heightened paranoia, nerve control issues, widespread memory loss… Well, of course. But we can do better. Keep working on it. Thank you."

"Delayed seizures and sudden deaths? I see. No, certainly not ideal. Keep me updated."

" _The authorities,_ right. Of _course._ Tell you government stooges – No, I will not halt development. So deal with the red tape! I don't care. Whatever it takes. Yes. Goodbye."

Kara finally puts down her hot cocoa at that. "All right, that's enough of that," she says firmly. "Lena, what in Rao's name is _Project Leatherface_?!"

Lena blinks at her, still holding her phone, looking improbably surprised. "Oh," she says. "You heard all of that?"

Kara throws her hands in the air. "Super hearing? Anyone? Also, you were practically shouting. And you're standing right here."

Lena rubs her temples and closes her eyes, and Kara's reminded again of how drawn out she's been lately, how little she's been sleeping. Too busy conducting human experimentation and overthrowing the government, presumably.

"We'd better sit down," Lena says, and Kara follows her to the sofa. "So I've been a little… absorbed in this new product. It's… a bit of a passion project for me. I suppose I can get a little intense about these things."

"You don't say," Kara replies flatly.

Lena cracks a smile at that. "I should have told you about it sooner. But it's very important to me, personally, and lately it hasn't been going very well."

Kara waits for the explanation, but none seem forthcoming. "Well? What is it?"

"Oh! Right. The basic concept is an OTC drug that counteracts the effect of GHB. The plan is to offer it in two forms: a pill that can be taken before drinking, and a faster acting powder that can be added to a drink that might be compromised. I plan to supply to college campuses and certain high risk bars at production cost."

Kara takes a short breath. "Lena, that… that sounds pretty wonderful?"

"It does, doesn't it?" Lena grimaces. Unfortunately, when mixed with certain medication, like Adderall, for one example, there appear to be some unpleasant side effects. And if it's ingested without GHB entering the system, the effects mimic an intense caffeine high. And several lab rats with high blood alcohol levels apparently died, and now our pharmaceutical rivals are trying to flex some muscles…"

Kara laughs a little in relief. She gathers Lena closer, wrapping her arms around Lena's middle and arranging her limbs comfortably. Lena tucks her head under Kara's chin and rests her cheek on her chest. "Well," Kara says. "That sure sounds like a product in its early stages of development, and not like an evil plot to create an illegal abomination through human rights violations."

Lena nods along. "You're right," she says. "It really is exactly like that. You always help me see things in perspective, Kara."

Kara chuckles. "Perspective, yeah. That sure is one way to put it."


	8. Going on a First Date

**8: Going on a First Date**

Lena and Kara's two year anniversary is coming up, and Kara really wants to do something special for her girlfriend. She wants something sweet and fun and nostalgic, something that will make Lena smile but won't be too overbearing. She considers filling Lena's office with flowers, but that might just remind her of less positive times.

Kara taps her pen rhythmically against the metallic edge of her desk, producing a nice, clear, comforting sound, and digs through her memory for some inspiration.

Their first ever date, maybe?

.

.

.

Kara was visiting Lena in her office after Lena had _asked her out_ two days earlier, ostensibly for a comment on a story, but really, just to squeeze some information out of her about her plans for their date.

"So, uh… what's the itinerary for our date?" Kara asked, utilizing her superhuman capacity for subtlety.

Lena smirked and just looked at her for several seconds. Kara felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine. "Oh, don't worry," Lena said, lowering her voice in a – conspiratorial? Seductive? Vaguely threatening? – way. "I have some _very_ interesting plans for you."

"Okay," Kara squeaked. "That sounds – okay."

"Great. I'll pick you up Friday at eight. Oh, by the way, don't bring any cash, credit, bus pass, personal identification, or magnetic card of any kind. And no weaponry will be necessary." Lena laughed cheerfully. "Obviously."

"Wow," Kara said. "Where exactly are we going, remind me?"

Lena winked at her. "Come and find out," she said, and then actually, in real life, licked her own lower lip.

Kara wasn't completely sure she was going to get out of this alive.

"You're not getting out of that alive, you know that, right?" Alex informed her over the phone that evening. "I have never in my life heard of a more obvious death trap."

"It's not a death trap," Kara scoffed. It didn't sound totally convincing, though, so she rolled her eyes in a demonstration of how utterly not worried at all she was.

"'Hey, Supergirl, come with me, a Luthor, completely alone and without any backup, to an unspecified location of my choosing, wear something probably skimpy that will be impractical to carry anything useful in, and, oh, don't bring any _money_ or _ID_ ,'" Alex said in an obnoxious high pitched voice that sounded nothing like Lena. "She might as well have asked you to shave down your own fingerprints in advance."

Kara sighed. "She doesn't know I'm Supergirl," she admitted sullenly.

"She – what?" Alex demanded. "So you were just planning on going on a date with her under false pretenses? Kara, she's your friend in both identities. This isn't fair to her."

"So now you're worried about _her_?"

"As a big sister, I'm totally capable of being simultaneously worried for and suspicious of the same person."

Kara smiled. She loves her sister a lot. "I know you are. I really wanted to tell her. But she just asked me out, and seemed so nervous, and then so relieved when I said yes… she had tears in her eyes, Alex. I didn't know where to squeeze in a confession. I was planning on telling her first thing on our date."

"All right," Alex concedes, "I guess in that case she doesn't have that much of a motive to lure you into a death trap. Unless she's figured it out herself, which we can't rule out. I'll have a team on standby, and please wear something sensible, okay?"

"No problem," Kara agreed. "I was planning on butching it up a little anyway."

Alex snorted. "Try not to break her heart, either. I kinda like her. Unless she's trying to kill you, in which case, do."

Kara laughed and saluted, then remembered she was on the phone. "Roger that."

That Friday, Lena arrived predictably early; less predictably, she was riding a motorcycle.

"Oh, wow, is that a Yamaha? My sister would be jealous," Kara commented as she took the helmet Lena handed her.

"Hm? Oh, I don't even know. It's not mine," Lena told her, taking off her own helmet to flash Kara a bright smile.

"Whose is it, then?"

Lena shrugged. "You know, I didn't really care to find out. The important thing is that it can't be traced back to me."

"Uh," Kara said, hesitating, then shook her head. "All right. Lena, before we go anywhere, there's something I need to tell you." Lena frowned, and Kara touched her shoulder in a preemptive steadying gesture. "I'm Supergirl."

"Oh, I know that," Lena said, without missing a beat.

"You – you do?"

"Yes, of course. I _am_ capable of recognizing your voice, Kara. Very capable, in fact. It's really quite lovely. I think about it quite a – uh." Lena blushed and awkwardly cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I like your voice. That was probably a weird thing to say."

Kara bit her lip, glancing away. "No, um. It was – nice."

Lena smiled at her dopily, put her helmet on and kicked the bike into gear.

So Lena knew Kara is Supergirl. Had known all along that Kara is Supergirl. And Kara felt no particular urge to get off the bike right now, immediately, and never turn back. So either Alex or Lena were probably going to kill her, but, really, Lena's giddy smile was definitely worth it.

The drive was surprisingly long, and the noise of the wind whipping against them didn't allow for much conversation. Kara was mostly content to let her thoughts wander, and only very occasionally ogle the sliver of bare skin of Lena's nape visible between her helmet and jacket.

That is, until they swerved down a path on an open concrete site that led directly underground, crossed through an enormous, completely vacant parking area, and stopped in front of a row of massive elevators. At which point, Kara was decidedly not content to silently ponder anymore.

"What _is_ this place?" she asked, watching Lena call up an elevator apprehensively.

"A defunct LuthorCorp laboratory," Lena said before walking into what appeared to be a tiny closet and returning with two enormous packages, one of which she handed to Kara. "Here's your biohazard suit. I know you're invulnerable and such, but you can't be too careful on a first date, can you? Oh, and do you have any metal on you by any chance? Keys, belt, hearing aid, dental implants? Because they would have to be removed. Don't worry, I have some medical clamps right here."

"I – uhhh –"

"Kidding! I'm just kidding." Lena laughed strangely, waving the suit helmet in her hand. "I'm sorry, I make bad jokes when I'm nervous. I really very badly want this to be fun for you." She touched Kara's hand gently, the most endearing hopeful smile on her face. "Shall we go in?"

Kara could practically hear Alex's voice in her head. _'Sure, walk right into a fucking LuthorCorp lab, which is apparently also biologically hazardous, on top of everything else. Definitely doesn't sound anything like a death trap at all whatsoever.'_

On the other hand, Lena's hand was still brushing against hers, and she really wanted to hold it. And maybe kiss it. And then kiss Lena.

"Sure," Kara said.

Lena beamed at her, and took her hand, and led her into the elevator and down eleven floors, and helped her get into the suit. And so began their bizarre, supervillain-themed version of a museum date.

"Here you can see the human bone strength enhancement prototype machine. Oh, and over there are all the splatters on the wall left from when the human bone strength enhancement prototype machine exploded.

"Fun fact, Luthor Corp's primary export, a biometric security device for cars, collected all its users' fingerprints and stored the information on this server here. As far as I can tell it was used primarily for identity theft and money laundering. Of course the database was destroyed after Lex's arrest.

"Ooh, I've wanted to show you this for a long time. This is the disastrous thought-scrambling machine. According to the files I could find, the intent was to interfere directly with a person's brainwaves in order to cause confusion. Why Lex ever thought this could work, I have no idea.

"Kara, look! You'll _love_ this one. This is the chamber where they tried to recreate the deadliest, most toxic plants in the universe. Fortunately, due to corrupted genetic data, the plants became highly corrosive and melted down the machinery tending to them.

"Did you know Luthor Corp was close to developing a neurotoxin that could kill only the parts of the human brain responsible for the ability to recognize individual faces? I thought you'd find that interesting."

In all honesty, everything that Lena had shown her really was fascinating, and Kara couldn't say she wasn't enjoying this tour of horrifying failed experiments, and it was obvious from Lena's demeanor that her enthusiasm had its roots in simple scientific interest and pure schadenfreude, but Kara just couldn't help asking:

"Lena… you do realize how that sounds, um, incredibly menacing…?"

Lena jumped, turning to stare at her, wide eyed. "Mena—oh, no, oh gosh, I'm so sorry!" she gushed. "Have I been – _scaring_ you all this time? Oh, Kara, I'm so – I was just trying to _flirt_!"

Lena looked so contrite, almost anguished, wringing her hands and gazing soulfully at Kara. Kara just looked at her for a moment. Then burst out laughing.

"I'll stop," Lena was saying. "Immediately. I hope I haven't completely ruined this. Could we start over?"

She held out her hand. Kara grinned at her, and took it, and pulled Lena into a squeaky, bulky, hazmat-suited hug. "I have a better idea," she said. "Let's get out of here so we can ditch the suits and make out."

And Lena nodded so enthusiastically at that, Kara was sure her headgear was going to fly right off.

.

.

.

Kara shakes her head. On second thought, maybe none of that is really applicable. She's not going to be doing any of… that. Forcing her girlfriend into an unwieldy hazmat suit, dragging her to an old irradiated illegal testing site and scaring the crap out of her multiple times in succession isn't the kind of romantic anniversary date Kara has in mind.

It _is_ a nice memory, though.


	9. Mentoring a Chess Team

**9: Mentoring a Chess Team**

"So you know how I volunteer with the local public school?" Lena asks Kara over a very late nighttime dinner, apropos of absolutely nothing.

Kara gives herself a second to swallow her enormous bite of kebab and wipe the tahini sauce off her chin. "I had no idea you volunteered with the local school? How did I not know that? We literally live together?"

Lena shrugs. "That does seem like an odd thing for me not to mention and for you not to notice," she agrees. "Anyway, I fund and occasionally coach the middle school chess team. I meet with them bimonthly. They made the state championship, I'm very proud of them. Their first competition is next Monday. Would you want to come?"

Kara puts her skewer down to press a hand to her chest. "Aw, your middle school chess club that I didn't know existed made the state middle school chess championship that I also didn't know existed? Of course I'll come. I'm so proud of all your little nerds."

Lena scoffs. "Psh, Kara, they aren't nerds. My kids are the coolest kids in school."

"Of course they are, babe," Kara says indulgently, giving her girlfriend a quick smooch before going back to stuffing her face full of shish kebab.

The next Sunday, Kara returns from her usual shift escorting police, making sure they know they're being observed and will be held accountable, to find Lena humming happily to herself as she scribbles away, surrounded by a small pile of binders.

Oh, again with the _binders_.

"Watcha writing there?" Kara asks as she zips out of her suit and into some of Lena's comfy pajamas.

"Strategies! Weaknesses! The enemy's deepest, darkest secrets!" Lena replies excitedly without taking her eyes off the page. "We are going to _obliterate_ the competition."

Kara snatches a binder at random. Inside is a picture of a cute kid with a dimply smile and braces and curly hair. Underneath the school photo, in Lena's horrible penmanship: 'Green Lantern fan. Often opens w knight. Probable malocclusion. _Deadly peanut allergy!'_

Kara shakes her head slowly, not sure whether she should laugh or sigh for all eternity. "Lena. Lena. Sweetie. Look at me. Stop scheming for a moment." Lena blinks up at her, looking slightly unfocused. "Do you mind telling me why you're doing your best to make it seem like you're planning to poison adorable chess playing children?"

"I – I'm… not?"

Kara hands her the binder. "Deadly peanut allergy? Three exclamation marks? Underscored _twice._ "

Lena strokes her chin. "Hm. I see your point."

"Happy to help. I can't say I can possibly comprehend _your_ reasoning."

"Well, we're bringing snacks. I'm just trying to be a responsible chaperone. I was being worrying again?"

"Little bit," Kara says. "But don't fret, I've got your back. This competition is gonna be one hundred percent menace-free! I'm going to tutor you."

Lena laughs. "All right, coach, what's my first lesson?"

Kara holds up a finger. "Rule number one for non-shady behavior: no dramatic pauses in mundane day to day speech, for the love of Rao, _please_."

"I," Lena says solemnly, pausing dramatically, of _course_ , "will do my best."

The next day Kara opts to meet up with Lena at the venue. As much as she'd love to see Lena handling a group of teens, the idea of watching human board game practice for multiple hours doesn't seem particularly appealing.

When she catches sight of her, Lena saunters over and kisses her cheek.

"How's everything going?" Kara asks.

"Completely, utterly ordinary," Lena tells her.

"Aw, you're a quick study."

Lena beams at her and turns to face her team. "All right, everyone," she says. "We are going to _cru_ —uh— conduct ourselves in a sportsmanlike and friendly manner, and when we win we will rub their _no_ —I mean, we will graciously shake hands and congratulate our opponents on a well played match." She catches Kara's eye; Kara smiles encouragingly and gives her a thumbs up.

A kid in space print shoes and a transparent windbreaker raises their hand. (Lena was right, these children have a cooler fashion sense than Kara could manage even under the influence of red kryptonite.) "And if we lose?"

"Fortunately, I've prepared for every eventuality, no matter how vanishingly unlikely," Lena assures them. "For example, in case we are attacked by monsters, I have Supergirl on speed dial. And in the equally as improbable event of a loss, I've brought snacks."

"So no snacks if we win?"

"No no, you get them either way. But if we lose, we aren't sharing." Lena winks, and some of the kids even laugh a little.

Kara covers her grin with a fist. She feels so unbelievably proud. Lena didn't mention anything about psychological warfare or use the word 'annihilate' even _once_.

"You're getting better at pep talks," another kid notes. "Good job, Lena."

Lena smiles enormously at them. "Thank you, Evan. I've been practicing."

"Is she your girlfriend?" a kid with an undercut asks, gesturing at Kara.

"Yes, I am," Kara confirms, waving a little.

The kid sighs and shakes their head. "That's a waste. She's boring as fuck," they tell Kara.

Lena snorts. "All right, thanks for that, Zaynab. Q&A is now over. We should be getting ready to play. Let's, uh, meditate, or something. Then we can go over these perfectly benign, nonthreatening binders I've prepared." Kara shakes her head at her. "No? No. Just meditation, then."

They end up winning second place, so Lena only makes them share the snacks with numbers three through eight. More importantly, no restraining orders are filed. All in all, Kara would consider that a runaway success.


End file.
